Chess Tactics

Tactics in game of chess means a sequence of moves that reduces the opponent's choices. Chess strategy and tactics are not the same things. Tactics are at a more definite, local level than strategy, which is more global and is the overall design of how we think we will win.

In tactics, we can either attack or defend - doing nothing is not possible, (just like life!) I like to think of a chess match between human beings as '2 player chess', as more and more games are played against machines.

A piece is in an attacking position if it can seize an opponent's piece in the next move or two. A defending piece is in such a place that it could seize the opponent's piece, if that piece followed through with the attack. Normally, both players will judge the respective value of the pieces in question, and determine how to act. This all depends on the place the pieces have in the whole strategy. maybe one player expects to sacrifice this piece as part of his strategy. Sacrificing some pieces in the general interest of victory is one of the central tactics of the game.

If an opponent attacks, we can use different tactics, depending on the board layout and our overall strategy. We might try to seize the attacking piece, or take our piece out of the way. Could we place one of our men between the two, and stop the attack that way? Perhaps we could launch a quick counter attack to divert the opponent from his tactic. There are numerous ways in which we can attack or defend, but tactics fall into defined categories. A beginner chess player would do well to study one of the many excellent books about tactics in chess and gradually develop the ideas into their own games. Let's examine just two standard categories of tactics.

Discovered attack

This is a tactic which permits an attack by an opponent's piece, by moving one of our pieces out of the way of the attack. (If the attacked piece is our king, the tactic is called a discovered check). This can be a potent tactic, as the piece that was moved out of the way could then be used to counter attack. In this way you develop a second attack, which has the effect of putting the other player off guard and back on the defensive.

The Fork

This is a nice move and tends to be a favorite of mine, especially if carried out by a knight. It can be carried out when an opponent doesn't pay attention the set up, while concentrating on a false attack elsewhere on the board, for example. In essence, a piece is put into a place where it can capture any one of two opponent pieces close by. Usually, the other player can only save one piece by moving it out of harm's way, and he must make up his mind which one to lose. Bear in mind, if one of the pieces is a King, then he will be obligated by the rules of chess to move it away from this check situation. Queens are additionally great pieces to use in a fork tactic, moving as they do in eight different directions.

Fork attacks are called 'Relative', when the pieces being attacked are Rooks, Pawns, Knights, Bishops or Queen. The fork tactic is known as 'Absolute', when one of the attacked pieces includes the King.


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Peter Bruce is a freelance journalist operating out of Toulouse in France, writing about diverse subjects from chess strategy and tactics
and health. He coined the term '2 player chess' to differentiate between a competition between two people and those games played against machines.